Katherine McNamara
| birth_place = Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | residence = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | alma_mater = Drexel University | occupation = Actress | years_active = 2007–present }} Katherine Grace McNamara (born November 22, 1995 ) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Harper Munroe on the MTV comedy series Happyland, and for her lead role as Clary Fray on the 2016–2019 Freeform fantasy series Shadowhunters. McNamara joined the cast of Arrow, starting with its seventh season, playing the character of Mia Smoak, the daughter of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak. Early life and education McNamara was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of Ursula and Evan McNamara, who served in the U.S. military. She was raised in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and moved to Los Angeles, California in 2011. While growing up, McNamara was an advanced student in certain subjects, resulting in her being part-homeschooled; she received her high school diploma at age 14. At age 17, McNamara graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drexel University, completing much of her course work online. As of November 2015, she is studying for a Master of Science degree in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University. Career McNamara began her acting career on Broadway, appearing in A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. She began guest starring on television series including Drop Dead Diva and 30 Rock. McNamara has appeared in theatrical movies such as New Year's Eve, and appeared in the Disney Channel original movie Girl vs. Monster playing the role of Myra Santelli. She co-starred in the film Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, playing the role of Tom's girlfriend Becky Thatcher. McNamara also appeared in the independent films Contest and A Sort of Homecoming. She appeared on three episodes of the Disney XD series Kickin' It, in which she had a recurring role as Claire, Kim's rival, and in two episodes of the Disney Channel series Jessie, playing Bryn Brietbart, a rival to Emma Ross. She also appeared in an episode of the Nickelodeon series The Thundermans. McNamara was cast in the MTV series Happyland as Harper Munroe, a resident of the park who pursues a boy despite the fact that she already has a boyfriend. It was announced that McNamara would playing the recurring role of Kat on the third season of The Fosters in 2015. It was announced on May 6, 2015 that McNamara would be playing the lead character Clary Fray in Shadowhunters, the Freeform television adaptation of Cassandra Clare's bestselling book series The Mortal Instruments. Her first musical release, an original single titled "Ember", was included in the show's second-season finale. McNamara appeared in The Maze Runner film sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, as Sonya, a co-leader of Group B. She reprised the role in the 2018 sequel, Maze Runner: The Death Cure. In September 2018, McNamara was cast in the seventh season of Arrow as the recurring character of Mia Smoak, the daughter of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak; McNamara was later promoted to a series regular for Arrow s eighth and final season. In October 2019, it was announced that McNamara would reprise her role as Mia Smoak in a potential upcoming Arrow spin-off. In October 2019, McNamara was cast as Julie Lawry in the CBS All Access limited series adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand. In December 2019, McNamara will feature as the voice of singer Sally Jessup, in the animated Christmas special episode of Dreamworks series Spirit Riding Free entitled Spirit of Christmas, which will premiere on Netflix. She also provides the vocals for several Christmas songs featured in the special. Charitable works McNamara has endorsed several causes and organizations, including participating in WE Day Vancouver, a youth empowerment event organized by WE Charity. McNamara has also shown support of the MS Society and the Lollipop Theater Network. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References External links * * * Katherine McNamara at TriviaTribute.com Category:1995 births Category:21st-century American actresses Category:Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri Category:American child actresses Category:American film actresses Category:American television actresses Category:American voice actresses Category:Drexel University alumni Category:Living people